Let's talk fantasy cavalry

[NonReal]

You can choose to use some hybrid species. If your magical system allows that it seems logical that a ruling class would try to crossbreed some super mount. You can choose horses since they are easily recognizable and diverse species. Both are positive qualities for creating a fantasy species. Then mix it with the blood of magical beasts. It doesn't even have to be a big change. Just giving them horns or scales, or making them omnivorous would dramatically enhance their combat potential.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

When AIs fighting in a virtual environment for control of that planet's internet all mounted up on very violent Pop-up adds and in mass charged the bastion of The Unknowable Id, the headquarters for the secret cabal that ruled cyberspace.

 

[AnUnknownMan]

In order for calvary to be effective, there must be some advantage to riding. As far as I can tell, the following advantages can be reached with mundane(ish) calvary:
-Speed: knights charge
-Hight: ranged attack from a safe distance
-terrain: flying/swimming/acid lakes
-Psychological: man rides elephant, man>elephant
-senses: ability to investigate/find
-toughness: ability to protect the rider
-largness: escape notice by hiding on something bigger
Magical advantages/reasons can be as follows:
-binding the rider to the right plane
-psycic creature for command purposes
-borrowing/fusing magic source(s)
-life support (immediate)
-life support (food/water/housing)
-curse/chimera
-gain enlightenment/power
Reversal of dynamic (human being used/human being ridden):
-sabotoge/minute tinkering: let be ridden to gain service
-live in/on tutor
-pest removal
-fashion

 

[RavenRunes]

Nothing helpful to add, but if one's cavalry were mounted upon giant toads....pros: can leap huge distances and pick off enemies with tongue. cons: might need non-slip saddle, and can't be deployed in desert. Ok, I'll stop

anyway the word itself means you have to use horses or it's not cavalry, strictly speaking.

 

[Ymadthepirate]

Yes I have been waiting fora chance to show off some of my character ideas

Armageddon
Rides a Hellhound + Cerebus = Fusion

 

[BearlyAlive]

Outside of boring stuff like horses, dragons, and totally-not-yellow-birds?

Ostriches and dinosaurs. Just think about it. What's worse than an armored horse? An evil-looking armored bird that rushes at you two or three times the speed of a horse. And don't even get me started on dinosaurs.

Flying dinos make good aerial troops at relatively low costs, raptors are just even meaner, scaled ostriches with claws. The herbivores make good transport animals, and anything else would be siege weapon tier.

Just imagine a triceratops rushing your gates or a T-Rex in plate armor being let loose on infantry.

 

[Ymadthepirate]

Outside of boring stuff like horses, dragons, and totally-not-yellow-birds?

Ostriches and dinosaurs. Just think about it. What's worse than an armored horse? An evil-looking armored bird that rushes at you two or three times the speed of a horse. And don't even get me started on dinosaurs.

Flying dinos make good aerial troops at relatively low costs, raptors are just even meaner, scaled ostriches with claws. The herbivores make good transport animals, and anything else would be siege weapon tier.

Just imagine a triceratops rushing your gates or a T-Rex in plate armor being let loose on infantry.

Bro that would be so cool but what do you mean by low cost I'd imagine getting an ostrich is cheap and you should just get a cassowary bird instead of an ostrich.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Bro that would be so cool but what do you mean by low cost I'd imagine getting an ostrich is cheap and you should just get a cassowary bird instead of an ostrich.

Flying dinos were pretty fuel efficient for their size. Some could survive for days with only a few gramms of meat. Ostriches were just mean mofos in general. We have a farm of those on the other side of town.

 

[SirDogeTheFirst]

Do lobsters count, I mean very big ones.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Do lobsters count, I mean very big ones.

Sir, your cavalry is crab.